Real Estate as an Investment: Tips and Strategies

Welcome to my real estate blog. My name is Maria, and I have been buying and selling homes for years. I own a rental that generates income. I have a lot of experience with real estate as an investment, and it is a topic that I love to research. Currently, I am staying home with my new baby, and I want to have an 'adult' outlet so I decided to create that through a blog. Here, I am going to present all kinds of posts on using real estate as an investment. If you want to learn tips and strategies to make real estate into an investment, explore these posts. I hope you enjoy my blog!

Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid When Building a Custom Home

Posted on:
10 February 2016

So you're going to build your new home, and you plan on making your dreams come true after the construction. You have a good idea of what your home would be like and you're pretty excited about it. But the big question is, have you planned 10 years later? Or 15? Do you really know what you will require then that seems farfetched now? Well, most homeowners make a couple of mistakes, and the main contributor is poor planning. To avoid digging the 'I wish I knew' hole, here are some of the major mistakes you should stay away from.

Sacrificing Major Amenities

Perhaps you are building on a budget, and you don't plan to exceed it. However, one area you shouldn't sacrifice on is the presence of those extra amenities. That's because they are going to be pretty expensive when done later as upgrades. For instance, you could have that dual workspace for your kitchen when building it, because upgrading later in the future could cost you a lot more. Think about the basement, and how exactly you want it years down the line. Simply put, upgrades could easily double the cost of your home, particularly if you avoided the 'extras' when building.

Having Fewer Outlets and Lighting

Don't forget to have as many outlets as possible in your home. You don't want to start pulling extension cords all over the place. That would be dangerous, especially for any kids you have. Your home should be able to accommodate you as your technology grows. Think ahead. You may probably have a swimming pool in the future, so how will you heat up the water?

Don't forget about outdoor outlets. Yes, your three-year old won't need them now, but what about 15 years later when smoking up barbecues? They may probably come in handy during Christmas when you need to light up your home.

The same goes for cables in the home, Wi-Fi and the lighting. Have space for enough. Don't limit the windows: seasons change, and you'll want to harvest the light from a different position.

Think about the Resale Value

Even if you are not planning to resell your home, just take some time and think about the resale value. You never know what the future holds for you. There are some features that are not so lovable and would make reselling your home a lot harder. For instance, having the master bedroom in the noisy areas of the home, or a five-storey house with infinite number of stairs. Avoid having such features that would make you thousands and thousands of losses when reselling your home. Contact a new home builder for more information.